Quick answer
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88 by the numbers
- vs 1 random hand
- 69.1%
- all-in equity
- vs 5 random hands
- 24%
- full 6-max table
- Flop a set or better
- 11.8%
- about 1 in 8.5
- How often dealt
- 0.45%
- 1 in 221
How to play 88 by position
6-max cash game, around 100 big blinds deep.
- Early position (UTG)
- Open-raise. In 6-max, eights are a standard open from every position.
- Middle position (hijack)
- Open-raise. Against an earlier open, calling is usually better than 3-betting.
- Late position (cutoff, button)
- Open-raise, and 3-bet sometimes against wide openers.
- Blinds
- Raise when folded to. Facing an open, call when stacks are deep enough to set-mine.
- Facing a raise
- Call a single open when effective stacks are roughly 15–20 times the call or more, so a flopped set can win a big pot. Fold to most 3-bets out of position.
After the flop
- You will flop a set or better about 11.8% of the time; when you do, play for stacks.
- If the flop brings two or three overcards and you miss, check and be ready to fold.
- On low boards like 6♣ 4♦ 2♠, eights are often an overpair worth betting.
88 against common hands
Eights win 80.7% against 77 and 55.4% against AKo. Against AQo they win 55.5%: pairs and two overcards are close to a coin flip.
| Against | 88 wins | Tie | 88 loses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-7 | 80.7% | 0.9% | 18.4% |
| A-K offsuit | 55.4% | 0.3% | 44.3% |
| A-Q offsuit | 55.5% | 0.3% | 44.2% |
All-in before the flop, exact results from every possible board. Suits as dealt in our example; figures shift slightly with other suit combinations.
What 88 makes by the river
If you see all five board cards, your best five-card hand ends up as each of these this often. Exact figures from every possible board.
- Straight flush0.02%
- Four of a kind0.8%
- Full house8.6%
- Flush1.9%
- Straight2.3%
- Three of a kind11.7%
- Two pair39.5%
- One pair35.2%
Common mistakes with 88
- Calling large 3-bets without enough chips behind to make set-mining profitable.
- Calling down with one pair of eights on a board of high cards.
- Limping into pots instead of raising when folded to.
Where 88 sits in the chart
Suited hands above the diagonal, offsuit below, pairs on it. Number = equity against one random hand. A white dot means the hand has a full guide.
Pocket eights FAQ
Should I play eights for set value or as an overpair?
Both. In heads-up pots on low boards, eights often win as the best pair; in multi-way pots, they rely more on flopping a set.
Why are pocket eights called snowmen?
Because the 8 looks like a snowman, with a small round head on a larger body.
How do I play eights with a short stack in a tournament?
With 15bb or less, eights are a standard push from every position and a strong calling hand against late-position shoves.